A Stranger Like Me
by clairegrisham3
Summary: Upon entering the Glade, Ruthie had dreams of a young man who could possibly be her child's father. If she escapes the maze with the other girls in the Glade, she knows she'll finally get to find her daughter's daddy sooner or later. But the challenges are risky. Dangerously risky.
1. Ruthie

Ruthie

**Please enjoy this story! I really hope you like it. Please comment, review, and/or favorite.**

I woke up with a start.

Where was I?

It was dark, so I felt around. I felt the floor, and it was cold and hard. My fingertips kept searching until they ran into a wall. From there my hands searched upward, and it didn't even take five seconds to find the ceiling. I realized that if I tried to stand up I would hit my head.

I sat down just as whatever I was in-a box-started moving. I figured it was probably moving at a fast pace because I could feel the pressure of the speed almost weighing me down.

All of a sudden, I felt something hit my gut. Not hard, but almost like a nudge.

"Who's there?" I called out. No one answered, and I felt the nudge again.

My instincts told me to feel around again, and I did. I found that I was alone in the box except for a few crates in there with me.

The nudge came again. I felt all over myself, but I was terrified when I came to my gut. I started crying.

The box came to a quick stop. I heard a metallic noise, and the ceiling began to open. Light came pouring in. It was so bright I closed my eyes quickly.

"Woah!"

"It's a red head."

"Is she okay?"

"Someone get Rachel and Lovey over here!"

The voices were all female. When I could open my eyes again, there were girls standing around above the box and looking down at me with curiosity on their faces.

"Out of the way!" someone commanded. "Move! Back up! Give some space!"

Some of the girls moved out of the way to let two girls with blonde hair through. One was short with kind blue eyes and a gentle face, and the other was pretty tall with tawny eyes and was holding a medium-sized brown box.

The shorter one jumped into the box in front of me. I backed up.

"It's okay, sweetie," she said with a kind smile. "You're going to be alright. You're safe now. My name is Rachel. What's yours?"

What is my name? I thought.

Ruthie was what came to mind. Actually, that _was_ my name.

"Ruthie," I said.

"It's nice to meet you," she said then held out her hand. "Come on. Let's patch you up."

I took her hand, and she led me to a ladder where some of the girls had put out for Rachel and I to climb out of the box. She went first and climbed out before I could blink. When it was my turn, I struggled.

"Help her up," Rachel said. Two girls obeyed, grabbed my arms, and pulled me out.

"Thanks," I smiled. My arm began to sting. When I looked down, a big cut was going down my arm, and the taller blonde came to my rescue. She put the box down, opened it, and pulled out a bottle along with cotton balls and some gauze. I was surprised I even knew what these things were. I couldn't remember anything before waking up.

Soft chattering filled the air. They were whispering something and staring at me.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" I asked.

"I'll explain later," the girl said.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I'm Lovey," she smiled.

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks."

"Alrighty," Rachel smiled. "Come, Ruthie. We've got a place for you to stay."

"Okay," I sighed.

"But first, we need you to carve your name on our wall." She handed me a knife and a rock, and led me to a tall wall made of stone. Names like Ruby, Marie, Arly, Rosa, and Ellie were carved in a jagged way. A few names had x's or lines crossing through them.

"What do the crossed out names mean?" I asked.

"We've…lost a few Gladers in the past," Rachel explained. "Most of them were Runners, but I'll explain later. First, carve your name then we'll get you to a bed for you to rest in. You look exhausted, sweetie."

I did as I was told. Carefully, I pressed the knife against the wall and carved an "R" in the wall using the rock to press it in. Next came a "U" then a "T" then an "H". An "I" and "E" followed. It wasn't perfect, but at least I knew I was an official Glader, as Rachel called it.

She took the rock and knife in one hand and wrapped the free arm around my shoulders. Guiding me to a little house, Rachel pointed out everything in what she called "the Glade." The place had a large open field with neatly cut green grass. A little barn had a few animals such as cows, sheep, and chickens roaming around.

How do I remember these things? I searched my thoughts, but my memory was lost. I did remember one thing that Rachel asked about, and it made me realize why the other girls were whispering and staring at me. I remembered why I kept feeling nudges in my abdominals.

"I know you don't remember anything before waking up in that box, but who's the father?" she asked as we walked up to the door of the wooden house.

I looked down at my gut. It was a bit large.

"I don't know," I replied. "I can't remember."

"Well," she said opening the door to lead me inside the house which was actually a large cabin, "hopefully you'll find out sooner or later."

She led me into the cabin. It was pretty cozy for something that should be dusty. A little table with a vase filled with lilies in it was in the center of a few chairs and a couch. It made the little cabin a little more homey and lovely.

There was a portrait of a woman in a beautiful old dress. She was looking downward on her left side, and her black hair was in a beautiful bun with diamonds in her hair. By her profile I could tell she was beautiful. She was smiling, but it was a warm smile. It was sort of welcoming.

"Ruthie," Rachel brought me back down to earth. "Come one."

"Sorry," I said then followed her up the stairs. She made me take her arm, because she didn't want me to fall.

"Here's your room," Rachel smiled as she led me into a room with a wooden dresser, a little nightstand, and a bed with clean-looking sheets and a white pillow.

I fell in love with the blankets almost immediately of laying my eyes on them. It was yellow with a blue-and-white floral pattern. The pillow at the other end was in a light blue pillowcase.

"It's not much, but it's one of the best we have," Rachel said as she pulled the sheets down for me.

"It's perfect," I replied. "Thanks."

"Not a problem. Lovey will be up in a while to check on you, but for now get some rest."

"Okay."

I slipped into the bed and settled down on the pillow as she tucked me in.

She was just about out the door when I stopped her. "Wait," I said.

"Yes?" she said as she stepped back in.

"Who's that a portrait of? Downstairs, I mean."

"We're not sure," she replied. "It came with the first few of us when we first arrived about two years ago."

"Okay. Her smile is very welcoming. That's all I wanted to say."

"She does have that affect on all of us. Now, get some sleep. We'll explain everything when you wake up," she promised.

When she closed the door behind her I rested my head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

**I hope you liked it! And yes, the Rachel in this story is the same Rachel who was Aris's best friend. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. **


	2. Newt

Newt

Laughter.

Red hair.

A beautiful smile.

Everything about her seemed so real, but I didn't know who she was. I wasn't sure if she was real, but when she touched my face I could feel her soft skin against mine. I desperately wanted her to be real. If she was, where was she?

We were both wearing white uniforms of some sort and standing in front of a metal door waiting for something to happen. The girl's were red and puffy, and I assumed she had been crying. I could tell she didn't want to make eye contact with me.

"Are you alright?" were what came out of my mouth, even though it wasn't really me.

"I guess," she whispered, still looking down at her feet.

"Listen," I said to the girl. "I'm not thrilled about this either, but we don't have a choice."

She just shook her head, looked at me, and said, "I'm too young for this."

"So am I, but it was their decision. If I had the authority to stop their decision I would." She looked down again and tears began to pour down her cheeks. I lifted her chin up and she met my eyes again. "Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow…" I said to her.

"That I shall say good night…" she replied.

"…till it be morrow," we said together. She smiled, and I kissed her forehead.

We heard some sort of alarm that told us that something was ready for us. The girl and I faced the door. I took her hand, and she held mine.

"We'll get through this," I said then looked at her. "Together."

"Together," she repeated.

The door opened, and walked through the doorway towards the light, hand in hand.

* * *

"Newt," someone said. "C'mon, you shank. Get up."

Something kicked my back, and I jumped. I turned around to find Gally standing over me.

"Oh, it's you," I groaned.

"Who'd you expect?" he asked sarcastically.

"Never mind."

He finally left once I got up and brushed off the dirt off of my pants.

The girl entered my mind. Such a beauty she was! The saying said together was familiar, but I couldn't remember where it came from.

"_Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say good night till it be morrow."_

I couldn't get her voice out of my head, or that saying.

I had been in the bloody Glade for about eight months now, and I realized that this was the first time I had ever had a dream.

"Newt, where are you?" I heard Alby's voice call my name.

"I'm coming," I replied.

I ran out to see what was the matter, only to find that we were getting a new Glader.

"About time you showed up," Minho said.

"Sorry," I apologized. "My mind's on other things."

"Other things such as the mysterious red head in your dreams last night?" Minho grinned.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"You were talking in your sleep."

I glared at him. "It's none of your business."

"If you say so."

The new Greenie had curly brown hair, was a bit chunky around the middle, and seemed to be no more than twelve years old.

Instead of ignoring him like almost everyone in the Glade Alby and I showed him around.

"Welcome to the Glade," I said with a welcoming smile. "I'm Newt, and this is Alby. What's your name?"

"Chuck," he replied after a short pause.

"Well, Chuck," Alby said he put a hand on his shoulder, "first order of business: carve your name on the wall." He handed the young boy the knife and the baton as we led him to the giant, stone wall.

He carved a "C" then an "H." After that he carved a "U" and another "C". Finally he carved a "K". The writing was jagged but it still spelled out "CHUCK".

"Nicely done, Chuck," I said with an encouraging smile.

"I'll show him around, Newt," Alby said, taking back to knife and baton. "You can get back to work."

I did as I was told and made my way to the vegetable garden.

My thoughts drifted off the girl again. Who was she?

_Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say good night till it be morrow. _Her sweet voice refused to leave my mind, but I kept repeating what the girl and I recited together in my dream over and over in my mind.

"What are you yappin' about?" a voice sounded that made me jump. It was Winston.

"Nothing," I replied as I began pulling the weeds out from the garden.

"Nothin' means somethin', Newt."

"Never mind. It's none of your concern anyway."

"C'mon, you shank," Winston pressed on. "A lot of us know about the dream you had last night. The dream about…_her_."

"Fine," I gave up. "She was in my dream last night. Are you so bloody happy now?"

"I will be once you've told me a bit more about her."

I didn't want to tell him about her, but if I kept refusing he would keep on pressing.

"Have a seat," I instructed, and he obeyed.

I put my knife down and explained to him about her. I told him about her ravishing red hair, her bubbly laughter, and her beauty. I even explained about the new dream.

"She sounds like a really nice chick," Winston nodded his head. "I'd kinda like to meet her."

"Me too," I agreed. "If she's even real."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"For all I know, she could just be someone I made up while I was asleep."

"Dude, I don't know. I just know that you need to talk to someone other than me. I don't know what to tell you."

"Then why did you come over here anyway?" I asked as I went back to weeding.

"To tell you that Alby needs you for something," he replied.

"Okay." I discontinued my work, promising myself that I would come back to it later. I also needed to write to the recitation of that saying. As I thought about the recitation, I realize that it was like saying good-bye. Not forever, but in way of saying "I'll see you soon."

Would I see her soon? If I _was_ to see her soon, when and where would I see her?

The saying kept bouncing around in my mind.

_Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say good night till it be morrow._

**Thanks for reading the chapter I really hoped you liked it. The quote that Newt kept on reciting was from Shakespeare's **_**Romeo and Juliet**_** in case you didn't know. The next chapter will be up soon. **


	3. Do Your Part

Ruthie

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! **

In the weightless feeling of sleep, I dreamed.

I seemed to be around twelve or thirteen and was sitting at a table with an open book, some paper was in front of me, and I was using a pen to write something down. I wasn't just writing. I was copying something.

_Hear my soul speak: The very instant that I saw you,_ I wrote. _Did my heart fly to your service._

I looked over to what I had written, then smiled.

"Ruthie," a voice in a singsong tone startled me. It was a blonde girl with freckles that I had never seen before. She looked to be around eleven or twelve. "Are you writing another love note?"

"It's none of your business," I replied as I slammed the book closed.

"I know you've been writing notes to Newt," she smirked. "Love notes."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because I came to tell you that he's been doing the same thing as you have been doing: Copying a Shakespeare quote and putting them in a love note. He knows you love Shakespeare, Ruthie, and he's memorizing them for you."

"Stop teasing me," I snapped.

"I'm not making this up," she said as she crossed heart. "Go quote Shakespeare to him and see what he does."

"Fine," I said as threw my hands up in the air. "Some pistol you are."

She just giggled as I walked out of the room I was in.

* * *

"Ruthie, wake up," a voice echoed.

I opened my eyes to find that I was still in the cozy little bedroom Rachel put me in. Sitting in a chair next to my bed was Lovey. She had her wooden medicine box with her, but also some paper and a pencil.

"Good sleep?" she asked.

"I guess," I answered as I rubbed my eyes. "I mean I feel rested."

"That's all I needed to hear," she smiled as she opened her box. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I replied as I sat up.

"How's the little one?"

"I think he or she is alright, I guess."

"Sorry," she chuckled. "Rachel asked me to ask questions when I came up to check on you."

"I'm guessing I'm the first chick carrying a babe inside of her to enter the Glade."

"You guessed right," she said as she took out her wound-cleansing items. "Let me see your left arm."

I obeyed.

She took the old gauze off of my arm, used a cloth with a wet substance to clean my cut then wrapped it with fresh gauze.

"Good as new," she smiled.

"May I ask you something?" I asked, and she nodded. "Why do you have paper and a pencil? I mean you came up to check on me, right?"

"Yes, I did, but I came up here while you were still sleeping, so I decided to do some writing."

"What do you write?"

"Poetry," she whispered.

"How beautiful!" I responded.

"Although Beth thinks it's a waste of time, I still think it's a way of expressing your feelings and sharing a thought or multiple thoughts."

"I bet you're really good," I encouraged her. "You should read one to me sometime."

"I will," she promised. "I'll go tell Rachel you're awake."

"Okay."

She gathered her box and paper then strolled out of the room.

I pulled the bed sheets off of me, got up slowly, made the bed, and walked over to the window. Outside, a few of the other girls were practicing what looked likes to be self-defense with spears. Some were gardening, and others seemed to be talking to each other.

"Hi, Ruthie," Rachel's voice came from the doorway.

"Hi, Rachel," I replied as I turned around to face her.

"Rested?"

"Much."

"Good. Usually, those who first arrive don't really take a rest before being told where they are," she explained, "but you looked like you hadn't slept in days. I thought you were going pass out or something at any second."

"I'm glad I didn't," I chuckled. "How long was I asleep?"

"About forty-five minutes. Anyway, we have a lot of things to discuss with you." She led me out of the door, down the stairs, and out of the cabin.

* * *

"So everyone here has no memory of anything but their names?" I asked after Rachel, Lovey, and a few of the other girls finished explaining the Glade.

Rachel nodded.

"The Runners," Lovey spoke, "go out into the Maze to try to find a way out. No one wants to be in the Maze. To us, it's like we were put here for a reason, and we have to find that reason by trying to survive out here and make things worthwhile."

"As long as everyone does their part," said Rachel, "we can make things livable until the Runners have figured things out."

"So what will I do?" I asked.

"We've been in need of a new caretaker," the girl they called Beth mentioned. "Our last one was also a Runner, but she was killed by a Griever. Also, we've been needing a cook. A good one."

"Oh."

"Can we count on you, Ruthie?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"Yes," I nodded as they started to cheer. "But I need one of you to show me what to do, first."

"I'll show you," Lovey offered as she stood up and reached her hand out for me to take it.

"Thanks," I smiled. She led me to a little garden area with flowers blooming, vegetables sprouting, and vines sprouting.

"This is our garden," said Lovey. "We've been taking care of it since our last one died. I'd give you the job in the blink of an eye, but since you have your condition I think you should stick to the cooking. You'll have to talk to Rachel about that."

"Okay," I replied. "I just want to do my part until we get out of here."

"That's the spirit."

**I hope you liked this chapter. I'll get the next one up soon. The quote that's in Ruthie's dream is from Shakespeare's _The Tempest_.**


	4. What Is Her Name?

Newt

The next morning, she came back into my mind again. I couldn't get her hearty laugh out of my head. Her mellifluous yet soft voice echoed and bounced around in my brain. The girl had a way of making me feel good about myself while I was trapped in this place. She was pretty much the only thing that kept me happy and going.

"Newt?" Chuck called my name as I was pulling weeds from the vegetables growing in the dirt.

"Yes?" I answered, snapping out of my daze.

"This is only my second day here," he said, "but I'm still confused about where the cleaning stuff is."

"It's in a small wooden shed behind the Bloodhouse."

"Thanks, man," he smiled. He turned to walk away but came back. "I know it's none of my business, but I've heard the other guys say stuff about you."

"Like what?" I asked in knowledge of where the conversation was leading.

"Well, they kind of make fun of you behind your back."

"Chuck, every one here makes bloody fun of each other behind everyone's back," I commented after pulling another weed from one of the carrots.

"I mean, they say stuff about you chanting sayings and talking about a girl," he explained further. "I was just curious."

I stopped what I was doing, stood up, and brushed the dirt off my hands. "Well, it's a bit hard to explain, but I only saw her in a dream. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it seemed like I was reliving a lost memory."

The boy just stared at me as if he wanted to say something. He bit his lip and finally asked, "What is she like? I know they're only dreams, but she still sounds like someone wonderful."

I just chuckled and smiled. I explained the girl to him. I explained her heart-of-gold personality. I also explained her sparkling eyes and radiant red hair. As I was telling Chuck all of this I felt as if I was being watch, but I decided to deal with it later.

"Is she pretty?" he asked with grin.

I nodded. "She's a beauty."

"Do you think she's real?" That question stuck me like a spear striking a tree truck.

"I don't know," I replied. "I hope she _is_ real."

"Do you know her name?"

"Now that you've mentioned it, I don't," I shook my head.

"Oh," he sighed in disappointment.

"But you'll be the first to know if I figure it out," I promised.

"Really?" His eyes lit up, and I nodded. "Thanks, Newt. Where are the cleaning supplies again?"

"The small wooden shed behind the barn," I told him.

"Thank," he said then jogged off as I went back to weeding the vegetables.

"Newt," someone called my name. It was Gally. "What are you doing?"

"Taking care of the garden," I smarted off.

"I meant what were you doing just five minutes ago?"

"Never mind," I replied.

"What were you telling Chuck other than where the cleaning supplies were?" he pressed.

"Why do you care?"

"'She's a beauty,'" he mocked. He had been listening in on the whole explanation of the girl. "Whoever this girl you've been talking about, you need to stop talking about her. It's getting annoying and distracting all of the other Gladers here."

"I'm sorry if it annoys you, Gally," I apologized.

"You're falling in love with a chick that probably isn't real. Just shut up about her."

"I'll stop talking about her, but I'll never stop thinking about her."

Annoyed, Gally just stomped away.

* * *

That night I dreamed about her again.

I figured I was probably around fourteen, and I was sitting in front of a computer, trying to solve some equations. When I looked on the left side the computer there she was sitting at a desk with a book open and writing things down on a sheet of paper. Her red hair was curled so perfectly that I could've sworn she was secretly a princess. Her hand moved ever so gracefully along the cream-colored paper as she wrote whatever she was writing.

"Someone's in love," a singsong voice came in from beside me. It was Minho, but younger. He looked around my age as well.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered, only it wasn't really me talking.

"Come on, Newt," Minho laughed as he slapped my back. "Almost everyone knows you like Ruthie."

I looked at the girl again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid," he said as he lowered his voice. The next thing I knew, he was staring at me in the face. "Between you and me, I've seen you write a love note to her."

"How many times?" I whispered.

"Once," he replied with a smirk.

"It's none of your business anyway. Even if I did, how would I know if she even liked me back?"

"Okay. Just know that I know you wanna go talk to her."

He strutted away as he laughed silently. I just rolled my eyes and went back to my work.

My eyes wandered to her, and she seemed to feel it. Her pen stopped moving, and she turned her head towards me. Her greyish-brown eyes met mine, and she smiled. I smiled back, and she turned back around and continued writing.

* * *

I woke up to an early morning. Some of the other Gladers had not woken up yet. I stood up from my mat and tiptoed outside. A few of the Gladers that were up were Runners, exercising for another day of trying to find a way out. I sat down just beneath a nearby tree and thought about the dream.

Then I realized I had found out the girl's name.

Ruthie.

**Thanks for reading. The next one will be up soon. I'm sorry if this chapter was a little shorter than the other ones. **


	5. First Meeting

Ruthie

I got used to my job within three weeks of being in the Glade. It wasn't so bad, and I cooked the best I could. Rachel and Lovey were always there for me. Rachel would help me around my room to keep it tidy, and Lovey would check on me and recite some of her poems to me.

On the fourth week at the Glade, it was time for my baby to be born. I was cooking breakfast when I felt pain travel through me. Falling to my knees, Beth saw what happened and got help. Everything after that was fuzzy in my memory. All I remember was extreme pain.

* * *

"Ruthie," Lovey's voice echoed. "Ruth, wake up."

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Lovey was standing there and rocking a yellow blanket in her arms.

"Hello," I mumbled.

"You did wonderfully, Ruthie," she said as she sat down on the bed.

"Thanks," I replied. "But I hardly remember anything."

"It wasn't easy, but you have a beautiful baby girl," she smiled. Lovey leaned over towards me to show me the blanket in her arms. Wrapped within that yellow blanket was the most beautiful thing I ever laid me eyes on, and I loved her. My little daughter was sleeping peacefully. I took her in my arms and held her close.

"She's beautiful," I said as I felt tears pushing through. Then I began talking to my baby. "Hi there. I'm your mama. You're a beautiful little darling."

"She looks just like you, Ruth. She has your red hair."

"Where are Sonya, Harriet, and Rachel?" I asked as I looked around.

"Spreading the news and getting something prepared for you," she replied.

"Oh."

"What are going to name her?" Lovey smiled.

For a while, I thought about the names on the wall. There was Ruby, Arly, Marie, and even Laura. _Aramina_ crossed my mind, and I fell in love with that name, even though it was crossed out on the wall.

"Aramina," I finally said.

"Oh, that's a beautiful name," Lovey said then realized it was one of the marked names on the wall. "The first one was a Runner, but I know she'd be honored."

I chuckled just before a knock rapped on the door.

"Come in," I said.

Rachel entered quietly followed by Sonya and Harriet. Each of them carried a basket of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

"How are you?" Rachel whispered.

"Fine," I said as Aramina squirmed a little. "I'd like for y'all to meet someone."

Rachel looked as if she wanted to cry, and Harriet and Sonya were all smiles from ear to ear.

"Rachel, Harriet, and Sonya," I said as I presented my newborn daughter, "meet Aramina."

Rachel took my daughter into her arms and began to speak to her. "Hi, little angel. I'm your Aunt Rachel. These are your aunties: Lovey, Harriet, and Sonya."

I laughed. "May I have her back, please?"

Rachel gladly handed Aramina back to me. "She's gorgeous, Ruthie," Sonya commented.

"Thanks," I replied.

"I bet you're tired," Harriet added.

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty worn out."

"Why don't you get some rest?" Rachel said as she went to close my curtains. "It's almost time to close the maze gates anyways."

"Where will Aramina sleep?" I asked as Lovey took her into her arms.

"We have a little crib for her right here," Sonya motioned towards a light blue fabricated little crib. "It came with you right when you arrived along with other things needed to take care of a baby."

"Okay, thanks," I said as Lovey settled my daughter down into her crib.

"Sweet dreams," Rachel said as she, Harriet, and Sonya started out the door. "Lovey will be here if you need anything."

"Thanks," I yawned as my head rested on the pillow, and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The boy came into my dream again.

In this scenario, I seemed to be at least twelve or thirteen. I was carrying two books and walking down a long hallway. One of the books was closed and under my arm, and I was reading the other one.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, but I was sitting up. When I looked up, there he was. He looked about twelve or thirteen as well.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologized as he helped me pick up my books. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," I replied as he helped me up. "I just need to pay attention more often to where I'm going."

"Actually, it's my fault," he disagreed. "I was in a rush and I didn't see you. The lights in these hallways are bloody horrible."

"When will they get them fixed?" I giggled, and he chuckled, too.

"I'm Newt," he said as he held out his hand for me to shake.

"Ruthie," I smiled as I shook his hand. I then felt something go through me. My heart seemed to pick up a faster pace. "Um...may I have my books back, please?"

He seemed to snap out of something then gently handed the books back to me.

"So where are you headed?" he asked.

"My biology lessons," I replied, "but I'm desperate to finish this book."

"What book is it?" he asked as we started walking into a hallway with better lighting.

"_Poems of the Greatest Poets in History_," I replied. "I was reading this one poem by this woman named Emily Dickenson when I ran into you."

"What poem is it it?"

"'Because He Loves Her.'"

"I know a poem," he said excitedly. "Well, it's not a poem exactly. It's Shakespeare."

"May I hear it still?"

Newt smiled, took my hand hand into his, and gazed his sparkling brown eyes into mine. ""But soft. What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Ruthie is the sun."

"You mean 'and _Juliet_ is the sun?'" I corrected.

"No, I mean you," he smiled as he kissed my hand. I blushed. "May I walk you to your lesson? Just so you don't run into to anything again."

"Of course, but don't you have something you need to get to?" I asked.

"They can wait a few more minutes," he replied.

As we walked I realized we were holding hands, and I felt a happy feeling blossom in my gut.

* * *

When I woke up, I realized I was back in my room in the cabin. It was still a little dark out, but the sun was just about to peak out.

I looked over at the crib in which Aramina was sleeping in. I smiled and made my way over to her.

"Good morning, princess," I whispered to her as I bent down to kiss her forehead.

The boy came back into my I remembered I found out that his name was Newt.

And he loved me the minute we met.

**Thanks for reading! The quote Newt recited was from _Romeo and Juliet_. Review, favorite, and/or follow. The next chapter will be up soon. :)**


	6. In My Arms

Newt

I had finally found out the girl's name.

"Ruthie," I whispered it to myself. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also the most beautiful song when spoken. Everything about her was beautiful, but I wished she were real.

For four weeks I tried to tell Chuck Ruthie's name, but I didn't have the time because I was so busy with tending to the garden and helping the other Gladers with their bloody problems. Every time I did get a chance to tell Chuck, Gally was around, and I wasn't willing to loose a tooth for telling a girl's name.

On the fifth week Chuck was by himself, carrying his cleaning supplies. I looked around. Gally was nowhere in sight. Good.

"Hey, Chuck," I called to him.

"Hey, Newt," he responded.

"I found out what her name is?"

"Who?"

"The girl from my dreams," I explained.

"Oh," he gasped. "Well?"

"Promise you won't say anything to Gally?" I asked. He nodded. "It's Ruthie."

"That's a pretty name," he smiled.

"I'm glad you agree," I also smiled. "Even just by saying it, it's beautiful."

Chuck just stared at me.

"Sorry," I said with a small chuckle. "That was bloody awkward."

"It's cool, Newt," Chuck replied with a small smile which made me feel a little better. "I won't say anything about that either."

"Thanks."

"I've gotta get to work, or else Gally will put me in the Slammer for not doing my part."

"You go on. I'll see you later."

"See ya," he said as he jogged off.

I started to go back to the garden when all of a sudden I felt an overwhelming happiness come over me. I began to cry, but I wasn't sad. They were tears of joy. It was like something so marvelous happened that made me the happiest person in the world. Tears poured down my cheeks, yet I was laughing. It was happy laughter instead of laughing at someone laughter. I'm not sure what it was, but I immediately knew it had something to do with Ruthie.

"Newt," Alby called me. "Are you okay? Is your limp hurting again?"

"No," I shook my head.

"Then why are you crying, shank?"

"I don't know," I said. I couldn't lie to Alby, but he'd make me tell him anyway. So I admitted it to him. "I just feel happy. Really, really happy."

"Tears of joy, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't know why, either, but you need to do that where your not in sight range of the other Gladers."

"Good that," I agreed as I walked to the Homestead to gather myself together.

* * *

Ruthie was in my dream again.

This time we were sitting in a small room on a table together, holding hands. We were either at least sixteen or seventeen. She was staring down at her feet again, but she wasn't crying. She just seemed down, and I was doing all I can to comfort her.

"What if it's us?" she asked as she squeezed my hand in nervousness. I squeezed her hand in comfort.

"If it is," I answered, "then I will do my best to take care of both of you."

She didn't respond but kept staring down at her feet. She wouldn't meet my eyes, and I wanted to look into those grayish-brown eyes to seal the promise I made.

I started to sing to her:

**Sun goes down and we are here together**

**Fireflies glow like a thousand charms**

She seemed to catch on and sang with the most beautiful singing voice:

**Stay with me and you can dream forever**

**Right here in my arms**

Finally, she looked at me and smiled. I took her in and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"We'll get through this together," I promised her.

She lifted her head, gazed into my eyes, and we kissed gently.

"And I'm going to be strong," she said.

There was a knock on the door, and the two of us let go of each other. We sat separately at arm's length.

"Newt Whitman and Ruthie Burke," a woman came into the room with a clipboard in hand. The nurse had long, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she was dressed in bright green scrubs.

"Yes?" Ruthie responded as she sat up straighter.

"The reason why you two were called here," the woman said as she half-read from her clipboard, "is because the test results came back."

Ruthie closed her eyes, took a deep breath then slowly reopened them. She knew what was coming.

"As you know, we tested both genders fifteen years and above. Each test would narrow down two subjects at a time: one male, one female. After waiting a long while-we do apologize for the delay-you two proved to have the healthiest."

The words seemed to strike me as if a rock was thrown at my head.

"The operation will commence tomorrow morning," the woman continued. She then looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was listening then leaned closer to us and whispered, "I understand this is quite a shock to the both of you. I don't agree with what they are doing, but I only wish nothing but the best for the two of you."

"Thanks," I said, and she walked out.

Within thirty seconds of the nurse's exit, Ruthie broke. I took her into my arms and she wrapped her arms around my neck. She coughed a couple times and her breathing became heavy. Her heart was breaking, and I was her shoulder she could cry on.

I began to sing again:

**It's magic when you are here beside me**

**Close your eyes and let me hold you tight**

She caught on again through a shaky voice:

**Everything that I could ever need is**

**Right here in my arms tonight**

"It's alright," I said. "I'll always be here for you."

"I'm scared, Newt," she admitted as she started to stop crying.

"I just as bloody nervous as you are."

"So I guess we can call it even, then," she laughed as she released me a little to look at me.

"Yeah," I smiled.

We kissed again.

"I should get back to my studies," she said as she hopped off the table.

* * *

I woke up with that same overwhelming happiness, but I kept myself from crying. A million questions began racing through my mind. What operation was to be done? Why was it delayed? Why did Ruthie cry and why was she nervous?

I decided not to worry about it until I had another dream. Then I remembered the song we sang to each other. I immediately found my note pad and wrote it down.

The way she sang it was unlike anything I had ever heard. Her voice could practically chase you dark clouds away. It was like springtime in the cold bitterness of winter.

Wherever she was, I wanted nothing but the best for her. I loved her, and if I got the chance to find go find her I would take it no matter the risk.

**Thanks for reading! The song Newt and Ruthie sang to each other was "In My Arms" from _Barbie as the Island Princess_. As ridonculous as it sounds it's the truth. The next chapter will be up soon. Remember to review, favorite, and/or follow. :)**


	7. Lullabies

Ruthie

"Ruthie," Lovey came into my room as I was sitting in a wooden rocking chair, cradling Aramina, "the girls and I have something for you and Aramina."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Come with me," she said as she motioned for me to follow her.

I obeyed. I stood up slowly, careful not to drop my daughter. I followed Lovey, down the old steps, past the portrait of the dark-haired woman, and out the cabin door. She led me to the garden and standing next to it was a small wooden hut. It was only big enough for a kitchen, a table, and a bed. The windows had flower boxes lined with forget-me-nots and there was a little knocker on the door. Rachel, Sonya, Harriet, and a few of the other girls were standing around it with proud smiles.

"Is that for me?" I asked.

"And Aramina," I heard Rachel say. "We built this for the both of you so you can have some privacy when needed. You'll be next to the garden so you won't have to walk so far."

"I don't know what to say" was all I could get out. "Thank you. All of you. Although, I will admit I'm going to miss the cozy little room up in the cabin."

"We'll keep it tidy for you," Rachel promised.

* * *

"The Box!" I heard someone exclaim as I was eating breakfast the next morning. "We've got a new girl coming up. The Box is moving!"

I decided to go see what was going on. I picked up Aramina out of her crib, and walked slowly out of my hut.

"What's going on?" I asked no one in particular as I came to the same hole I came out of a month earlier.

"We have a new girl coming into the Glade," Sonya explained.

The hole opened up and down in the hole was a nervous looking girl with blonde hair and freckles. Then I realized that she was the girl that was in one of my dreams.

Rachel hopped down into the hole and introduced herself to the girl. She took Rachel's hand helped her up the ladder. I decided to go up to the girl to introduce myself as Lovey checked her over for scratches or bruises.

"Hi there," I said with a gentle smile. "I'm Ruthie. What's your name?"

"Paige," she replied after a moment's pause.

"Nice to meet you, Paige."

"Where am I?" she asked as she looked around.

"You're in the Glade," Rachel said. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, let's get your named carved on the stone wall."

Rachel guided Paige in the direction of the wall to have her name carved in it. As soon as they left Aramina woke up and began to cry.

"Shh," I told her as I began to rock her. "Mommy's here, princess."

"Is everything okay, Ruthie?" Harriet asked as soon as she heard Aramina.

"Yeah," I replied as I kept rocking my baby girl. "She just woke up."

"Oh," she replied as she was also trying to talk to Aramina.

I looked back in the direction of Rachel and Paige. They seemed to be coming back.

"Do you mind taking the little princess for a bit?" I asked Harriet.

"Sure," she said as I placed Aramina into her arms. "I'll see if I can put her back to sleep."

"Thanks," I smiled then jogged off to Rachel and Paige.

When Rachel saw me she waved. Paige was rubbing her eyes and looked as if she was about ready to drop at any second.

"Are you alright?" I asked the new girl.

"I don't know," she answered as she felt her own forehead.

"Ruthie," Rachel spoke up, "Why don't you take into your house and feed her."

"Of course," I answered and took Paige under my arm. "Do you like soup?"

* * *

That night, not only Aramina but also someone crying and shouting in agony awakened me. I got out of my mattress, picked up my crying child from her crib, and walked out of my hut. While trying to get my baby to stop crying, I searched around the Glade until I realized that the wailing was coming from my old room in the cabin. I rushed into the cabin, tiptoed up the stairs, and opened the door of my old bedroom to find Paige tossing and turning in her sleep.

I went over to her and lightly shook her. "Paige," I whispered her name. "Paige, wake up."

She opened her eyes and gasped. "Oh, Ruth," she said as she looked at me. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you and your daughter?"

"It's okay," I smiled as I sat down on the bed and Aramina continued to cry. "Bad dreams?"

"I guess, " she shrugged. "I think I'll just stay up a while. Like all night."

I could tell something was bothering her, so I decided to comfort her. "Me too," I suggested. "We'll stay up together."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Really?" I nodded. "Why don't we take a walk outside?"

"Okay."

She pulled the sheets off of her and stood up out of bed. I stood up and walked over to the door while carrying Aramina in my arms. Paige and I tiptoed down the stairs and out of the cabin. Once we were outside we approached the big open field and sat down. Aramina had calmed down some, but she was still crying. Paige pulled her knees in and started playing with the grass by her feet.

"Do you know any lullabies?" Paige asked. "To calm your baby down, I mean."

Surprisingly, I did, but I couldn't remember the whole song. "I know one," I replied.

"May I hear it?" she asked.

I smiled and opened my mouth:

**Sun goes down and we are here together**

**Fireflies glow like a thousand charms**

**Stay with me and you can dream forever**

**Right here in my arms**

Paige and I stood up and began to walk around a little bit. A Griever sounded from within the Maze, and she jumped behind me. I continued singing to calm her down:

**It's magic when you are here beside me**

**Close your eyes and let me hold you tight**

**Everything that I could ever need is**

**Right here in my arms tonight**

"Is there more to it?" she asked when we got back inside the cabin. "It's so pretty."

"Yes, but I don't know all the words," I admitted. I began to sing again:

**La, la, la**

**La, la, la**

**Stars begin to climb**

**La, la, la**

**La, la, la, la, la**

**La, la, la, la, la**

When I turned to her to say good night, she was sound asleep on the couch. I couldn't blame her. She was so exhausted from that journey in the Box that she needed rest.

"Sweet dreams, Paige," I whispered to her. I looked down at Aramina bundled in my arms, and she was also asleep. "And good night to you, too, princess."

Once I was back inside my hut, I placed my baby girl back inside her crib. I knelt beside it, kissed Aramina's forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams, princess."

I crawled back under the blankets on my mattress and settled my head down on the pillow. I thought about Newt. I thought about his smile and his kind brown eyes. "Sweet dreams, my love," I whispered.

I thought about his eyes again. They matched Aramina's. So did his nose and his head shape. Then it hit me like a lightening bolt: Could Newt be Aramina's daddy?

I decided not to worry about it until the morning then drifted off to sleep.

**Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be when Thomas comes and things will start to get real. Paige is a character that my friend is writing about. Review, favorite, and/or follow the story. :)**


	8. The Greenie

Newt

**Here's the next chapter. I'm so sorry for not updating in a while. School and writer's block got in the way. I do apologize for keeping y'all waiting and on the edge of your seat. Please enjoy! :)**

I heard the metal clanking of the Box. A new Greenie was brought to the Glade. I ran to the edge where it would open up to reveal a new Glader. The other Gladers were crowding in, and I was nearly knocked off balance, but Alby caught me.

The Box opened up and sitting down at the bottom was a dark-haired, nervous-looking Greenbean. The rest of the Gladers instantly started making comments:

"Look at that shank."

"How old is he?"

"Looks like a klunk in a T-shirt."

"You're the klunk, shuck-face."

"Dude, it smells like feet down there!"

"Hope you enjoyed the one-way trip, Greenie."

"Ain't no ticket back, bro."

Gally jumped into the Box and said to the kid, "Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade."

The boy was pulled out from the Box. Once he got on his feet he looked around. He was curious just like the rest of us when we first came to the Glade.

"Look at the Greenbean," Gally teased. "Gonna break his shuck neck checkin' out the new digs." A few of the guys laughed.

"Shut your hole, Gally," Alby commanded.

"Where am I?" the newbie asked with a high voice.

"Nowhere good," Alby replied. "Just slim yourself nice and calm."

The Greenbean kept looking around. This one was really curious.

"It's a long story, shank," Alby continued. "Piece by piece, you'll learn—I'll be takin' you on the Tour tomorrow. Till then … just don't break anything." He held a hand out. "Name's Alby."

The newbie sat down and from there it was a conversation between them. I figured Alby was telling him about the Cliff, and wouldn't let the shank get scared on his first day.

"Wait for the bloody Tour, Alby," I said as I came up to Alby and slapped his back. "Kid's gonna have a buggin' heart attack, nothin' even been heard yet." I bent down and extended my hand toward the kid. "Name's Newt, Greenie, and we'd all be right cheery if ya'd forgive our klunk-for-brains new leader, here."

"Pipe it, shuck-face," Alby grunted, pulling me down to sit next to him. "At least he can understand half my words." A few laughs came a few of the other shanks, then they came and sat behind us.

The Greenie kept asking what everything was or where he was, but Alby kept telling him to shut up about it. then I was told to lead him to where he was to sleep for the night.

"What did I do?" he whispered. "What did I do—why'd they send me here?"

"Greenie, what you're feelin', we've all felt it," I explained. "We've all had First Day, come out of that dark box. Things are bad, they are, and they'll get much worse for ya soon, that's the truth. But down the road a piece, you'll be fightin' true and good. I can tell you're not a bloody sissy."

"Is this a prison?"

"Done asked four questions, haven't ya?" I replied. "No good answers for ya, not yet, anyway. Best be quiet now, accept the change—morn comes tomorrow. Chuck'll be a good fit for ya. Wee little fat shank, but nice sap when all's said and done. Stay here, I'll be back."

A shrill scream pierced the silence. Ben had had been stung by a Griever and was recovering. At least trying to.

"Shuck it," I cursed. "Can't the bloody Med-jacks handle that boy for ten minutes without needin' my help? Find Chuckie, tell him he's in charge of your sleepin' arrangements."

I jogged out of the room to go check on Ben, then Ruthie came back into my head. She had a way of doing it, that girl. Her smile and laugh, her gorgeous red hair, and her sparkling greyish-brown eyes. Everything about her came back into my head, but I decided not to worry about it. There were more important things to worry about.

* * *

That night I pulled out the quote we recited together in my dreams and read it. I read it over and over until I had memorized it word for word.

_Good night, my love,_ I thought to myself, but I guess I was trying to tell her telepathically in a way.

I knew I would find her one day. I now had a reason for wanting to leave the Glade. It wasn't out of hate anymore, but rather for Ruthie.

**Thanks for reading! Again, I'm sorry for not updating in a while, but I'll have the next chapter up soon. Review, follow, and/or favorite. :)**


	9. Things Are Changing

Ruthie

The next morning I was having breakfast with Rachel, Lovey and Paige. The three of us wanted to get to know the new girl a little bit more, so they decided to squeeze in my little hut and sit in a circle with bowls of soup in their hands. Aramina was took her morning nap after I fed her.

"So we all came from the same place?" Paige asked just before taking another swig up her soup.

"As far as we know," Lovey replied. "None of us can remember who we are or where we came from. We just know our names and that the Box brought us here from somewhere."

"The Runners are the ones who go out into the Maze to try to find a way out," Rachel said as I came and sat down. "For the past two years they've been running it and mapping it and everything in between."

"Has there been any progress?" Paige asked.

"Some, but not much. We're all hoping we'll get out soon."

Just then, an alarm went off.

"That can't be the Box already," Lovey commented. "It's not supposed to come up for another month."

The four of us with me carrying Aramina rushed out of my hut to see what was going on. Every one of the girls was gathering around the hole where the Box would be. Lovey, Rachel, Paige and I got in front of a few of the girls to see who was in the Box.

"Go see who it is," Rachel commanded Lovey. She obeyed and jumped in.

Lovey scanned the corpse lying in the Box. She looked up and said, "It's a boy."

The rest us looked a little closer and realized she was right. A young boy around fourteen or fifteen with light medium skin and dark hair was on his side. None of us could tell if he was breathing or not.

"What's that in his hand?" I pointed out a piece of paper clenched in the boy's hand. Lovey slipped it out from his clutch, unfolded it, and read it aloud. "_He's the last one. Ever._"

The boy then woke up with a gasp, which made the rest of us all jump. He looked straight up at us and sputtered "Rachel" then closed his eyes.

* * *

"What happened out there?" I asked Rachel a while later. She, Sonya, Harriet, Lovey, Beth, Paige, and I were standing around a bed in another room in the cabin. The mysterious boy was unconscious, but at least he was resting.

"I'm not sure," Rachel shrugged as she kept staring at the boy.

"Don't you recognize him?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"Really? Cause he sure recognized you," Beth commented.

"Well, what about the note?"

"We'll worry about it later," Lovey said. "But the Box hasn't gone down."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as Aramina squirmed in my arms and gurgled a bit. I began to rock her.

"I'm hate to admit it," Beth said, "but I think things are changing here in the Glade."

"We'll just wait until he wakes up and see what he knows," said Lovey.

* * *

After dinner, I sat in my hut with Aramina in my arms. I was trying to figure out what was going on. Why did we get a boy in an all girl Glade and not even a week later? Why did he suddenly recognize Rachel?

Three knocks on my door interrupted my thoughts. When I opened my door Paige was standing there.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hi," I replied. "You wanna come in?"

"Please?"

"Sure," I stepped out of her way to come in.

When she entered she sat down on the bed as I sat in the rocking chair that Soya and Harriet made for me.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm just worried, I guess," she replied as she was wringing her hands together. "I mean, I haven't been here that long and things are already getting weird."

"I know," I said as I went to sit next to her. "I've only been here a little over a week, and I have a bunch of more jobs here: cooking, tending to the garden, and being a mommy."

"You do have it tough," Paige smirked with a giggle. She glanced down at my sleeping daughter and held out her arms. I gladly put Aramina in her arms to hold. "Who's the father, do you think?" she asked.

"I wish I knew," I whispered. "But I have one theory."

"Tell me."

I explained the dreams I had been having since coming to the Glade. I told her about Newt, about seeing her in one dream, and of mine and Newt's relationship. I explained the physical traits between him and Aramina such as their noses and their eyes.

"It's gonna sound insane," I concluded, "but I think Newt is Aramina's daddy."

She was silent for about a minute then looked up at me and said, "Maybe you're dreams could be memories."

"You're right," I agreed. "They all seem so real, like I relive something that I need to remember. But yet somehow I don't remember him."

"Yeah," she nodded. "And you never know, but he might be dreaming of you as well."

I smiled then took my baby back into my arms. I stood up and faced my window and gazed out at the darkening sky. "I'm going to find him," I said, "and when I do, we're going to find a place for us. A better place than this Glade. None of us deserve to be here nor belong here."

I felt Paige put a hand on me. "And I'll go with you and whoever else wants to escape and be free."

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll get the next one up soon. :)**


	10. Visiting

Newt

Ben slashed at my face, and I pinned his arm down. "Ben, calm down," I commanded him. "You're not making things bloody better!"

Ben just kept squirming and moaning, his bloodshot eyes darting back and forth.

I noticed that the Greenbean had found his way up here. All of a sudden, Alby jumped out from working on his side of Ben's bed and started pushing the Greenie out of the door, then slamming it.

"What're you doing up here, Greenie!" I heard him shout.

"I…uh…want some answers," the Greenie responded. Ben jumped, but I kept holding him down.

"Get your runtcheeks down those stairs, right now," Alby ordered. "Chuck'll help you. If I see you again before tomorrow morning, you ain't reachin' another one alive. I'll throw you off the Cliff myself, you get me?"

Alby came back into the room in a fury then took his place on the other side of Ben. The inhuman likeness of Ben swatted at Alby, but his arm was pinned down.

"We don't belong!" Ben screamed. "We don't belong!"

"What happened out there?" I asked Alby, ignoring Ben.

"Newbie found his way up here, but I sent him back down," Alby replied.

Ben began top squirming and eventually stopped completely. He was sleeping.

"We've done all we can here," Alby said as he stood up, still staring down at Ben. "Go get some sleep. The Doors will be closing soon."

I obeyed and strolled out of the Homestead.

* * *

That night I dreamed again. I was lying down on a bed of some sort, and I seemed to be waking up. My head was spinning, my eyes seemed heavy, and my gut was hurting me.

"Well, look who's awake," a voice next to me sounded. I looked over to see Minho and a girl with dirty-blonde hair that I didn't recognize.

"How are you feeling?" the girl asked.

"Bit wonky," I replied as I tried to sit up. Pain struck me and I yelped.

Then girl placed a pillow behind my back for me to relax on. "Thanks," I said.

"No problem," she replied.

"So where's Ruthie?" I asked.

"She's still in surgery," Minho said.

"They're still operating on her?"

"Well, yes and no," the girl shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"She's stitched up and everything, but they're running tests to see if everything's…functioning properly."

I was silent. I didn't say anything. I just stared at the tiled floor.

The girl sat on the bed in front of me, put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Everything's gonna be fine, Newt. I know this has been a pretty big shock to you. It's been a big shock to all of us, but we'll be there to support you as much as we can."

I looked up her and said, "Thanks."

"Hey, guys," said Minho. "I think they're rolling Ruthie out of surgery. I see them pushing her bed down the hallway."

"How is she?" I asked.

"I don't know. They're way down the hall so I can't see her clearly, but from what I can tell she's probably still asleep. She ain't moving."

"We'll check on her for you," said the girl.

The dream changed. From what I figured it was probably sometime later, and I was walking down the dimly lit hallway. I came to a lit room, looked around to see if anyone was around, and entered the room. There in the corner was a bed, and in that bed was Ruthie. She was sleeping and breathing quietly. Her red hair fell perfectly around her beautiful face, which was facing me, and her hands were folded over her stomach. I went over to her and sat on her bed. The color of her skin wasn't the beautiful fairness it was but rather pale. I figured she might've been feeling sick after waking up from the operation.

I held her hand and smiled. Ruthie moved a bit, opened her eyes, and saw me.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey," she smiled.

"How are you?"

"Okay, I guess," she shrugged. "Just in pain a bit, but I'll be fine."

She squeezed my hand and smiled her ever-pleasant smile. How her smile brightened my darkest days!

"How did they let you out of your room?" she asked.

"Well," I said, "I'm allowed to take short walks whenever I need to, but they didn't say anything about not taking a short walk to come visit you."

Ruthie giggled. With her hand she reached up a stroked my face, and I kissed her soft and gentle palm. Then, as I gazed into those sparkling grayish-brown eyes of hers, I leaned down towards her and kissed her gently.

"…should be waking up soon," a voiced came from the hallway. Someone was coming.

"I'll come see you soon," I promised Ruthie.

"Okay," she whispered.

We kissed again then I dashed out of the door and down the hall back to my room, ignoring the bits of pain shooting through my gut.

When I came back into my room I sat down on my bed. I rubbed my stomach where the pain had been, but something didn't feel quite right. I lifted my shirt to see what it was, or it at least check on what it was. Just beneath my navel was a big white piece of white cloth wrapped around me.

I woke up, and remembering the white wrap I wanted to see if it was true. I lifted up my shirt, nut this time I didn't find a white warp. Instead, a maroon-colored scar in the shape of a smile was just beneath my navel.

A million questions entered my mind. How did I get this scar? Did I have this before coming to the bloody Glade? If I did, why didn't I notice it before? Did Ruthie have the same one? If she did, then why would we have identical scars?


	11. Two Girls Attacked

Ruthie

All we could do was wait. Rachel had called a gathering between her and the Runners. Lovey and Paige stayed behind with Aramina and me. Sonya and Harriet stayed with the mysterious boy, taking care of him until he woke up.

I was currently preparing lunch for everyone, Paige was rocking Aramina, and Lovey was scribbling something on some sort of yellow notepad. I figured she was writing a poem.

"What do you have to do to be a Runner?" Paige burst out and broke the silence.

"I'm sorry?" I replied as I put down the knife I was using to cut some vegetables.

"I'm thinking about becoming a Runner," she repeated. Lovey and I just exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Paige," Lovey said as she put her pencil and notepad aside, "let me tell you something. To become a Runner, you have to be chosen. It's not something that you can just jump into."

Paige looked taken back, furrowing her eyebrows together in disappointment.

"Sorry," Lovey recoiled. "I didn't mean it in a mean way, but you do have to be chosen to become a Runner."

"It's cool," Paige forgave her. "Well, have either of you two been a Runner."

"No," replied Lovey.

"I was pregnant when I came out of the Box," I said. "And I still can't be a Runner because I have a little baby to raise."

"Well, who do I talk to?" Paige asked. "To become a Runner, I mean."

"Either Beth or Ruby," said Lovey.

Paige just nodded her head to signify that she got the message.

I glanced outside my small window. The rest of the girls began coming out of the cabin and going back to work. Rachel started coming towards us, and before we knew it she was knocking on my door.

"Come in," I called to her.

"How are you ladies?" Rachel said with a smile after she opened the door. "Sorry for keeping you so long. The Gathering went longer than intended, but we did come to conclusion about a few things."

"Like what?" Lovey asked as she stood up.

"First, we're going to keep watching the boy until he gets better or wakes up, at least," Rachel said as if she was reading from a list then her expression grew dark. "Second, we need everyone on their guard. One of our Runners was just stung this afternoon."

My heart seemed to stop for a split second when she gave the news. Someone getting stung in the afternoon wasn't normal. Was it?

"Lovey, we need in the cabin, now," Rachel instructed, and Lovey obeyed. "Paige, do you think you can squeeze in with Ruthie? It's just until we can settle Arly down."

"Arly was stung?" I asked with wide eyes.

Rachel nodded. "You, Paige, and Aramina will bunk together for tonight."

"Alright," I replied as Paige gave my baby back to me.

Rachel left closing the door behind her.

* * *

Later that afternoon, as I was cleaning up around my hut a scream broke out into the air. I picked up Aramina, who was taking a nap, and stepped out of the door. I noticed that everyone was trying to find out what was going on.

"Help!" someone screamed. "Guys, help! She's out of her mind!"

It was Paige. She was running towards us with a big scratch going across her left cheek. Chasing her was a girl with dark skin and hair going everywhere. Arly.

The sick girl was dark circles under her eyes, dark green patches on her skin and her eyes looked bloodshot. Veins seemed to pulse from her flesh and her teeth were bared as if she were an animal chasing its prey.

"Tackle her, somebody!" Beth ordered. Two girls got a hold of Arly, and she was pinned down but still squirming.

"How did she escape from the cabin?" I asked no one in particular as Paige hid behind me.

"She climbed out of the window," Sonya explained. "I went to go check on the boy, and Harriet was watching her."

"Then when I was turned around," Harriet spoke up, rubbing the back of her head, "she knocked me out."

Rachel bent down next to Arly, but the moment Arly laid bloodshot eyes on her she grabbed Rachel's neck as if trying to choke her. She _was_ trying to choke her.

"I saw you!" Arly screamed at her as Rachel kept gasping for air. "You did this! It's your fault!"

Just then Lovey took a wooden club and hit Arly in the head with it. The sick girl let go of Rachel, who finally got the air she begged for. Arly fell over on the ground but not dead.

"What just happened?" someone asked.

The rest of us stood in silence and Arly was carried back into the cabin. Heads turned towards Paige and Rachel. Why did Arly attack Paige then almost murder Rachel? Whatever it was, how was Paige involved?

I looked down at my child who's brown eyes were scanning everything. Realizing what was happening, I knew that I had to not only look out for myself and the others but alsso my little daughter. And wherever her daddy was I needed him to be safe, too.

**Thanks for reading! I'll be getting the chapter up soon. Thank you NewtnTMR for your amazing reviews. Review, comment, and/or favorite. :)**


	12. The Girl and the Banishment

Newt

Within two days of the Greenie being at the Glade all of us noticed that he was curious about everything instead of just adapting it when he got here like the rest of us. I had to wake him up in the morning for Alby to give him the tour. That was followed be another Newbie that was coming up that day. It was very odd. We weren't supposed to get another Greenbean for another month. Why were we getting one now?

All of us went to where the Box opened to see what was the matter. Gally and I opened up the doors and inside was a lifeless-looking body lying inside.

"Go check it out," Gally instructed.

I jumped in the Box and took a closer look at the body. Upon examining it I found it was a female, but it wasn't Ruthie. The girl's hair was jet black instead of fiery red, and her skin was more pale than Ruthie's.

"It's a girl," I said as I looked up at everyone.

Everyone else murmured in confusion.

_I wonder if she knew Ruthie,_ I thought. _But then again, she might have had her memories taken as well._

"A girl?"

"I got dibs!"

"What's she look like?"

"How old is she?"

Every one of the Gladers was talking all at once.

"That's not the bloody half of it," I called up them after looking over the girl one last time. "I think she's dead."

Alby jumped in and ordered that both of pull her out of the Box. Once we were out of the dark hole, we lay her out on the green grass.

I noticed the way Greenie was looking at the dead girl.

"You know this girl, shank?" Alby asked, sounding ticked off.

"Know her? Of course I don't know her," claimed the Greenie. "I don't know anyone. Except for you guys."

"That's not …," Alby began, then stopped as he buried his forehead in his hand. "I meant does she look familiar at all? Any kind of feelin' you've seen her before?"

"No. Nothing."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Shuck it," Alby cursed. "Can't be a coincidence. Two days, two Greenies, one alive, one dead."

There was a brief silence until the Greenbean said with a gasp, "You don't think I …"

"Slim it, Greenie," I said. "We're not sayin' you bloody killed the girl."

"I swear she doesn't look familiar at all," the Greenie implied.

"Are you-" I was cut off by the girl sitting up as if waking up from a nightmare. Her blue eyes darted everywhere and her lips muttered over and over, "Everything is going to change."

The girl flopped back down on the ground as if she died right in front of us. I noticed a crumbled up piece of paper in her hand. I pried her fingers open to get it out, and when I unfolded it the message sent some sort of sick feeling through me.

"'She's the last one,'" I read aloud. "'Ever.'"

Everything seemed to be silent for the longest time. The last one of what?

"Med-jacks!" Alby called out, interrupting my thoughts. Jeff and Clint came and stood at the girl's head.

"So what do we do with her?" asked Jeff, still staring at her.

"How should I know?" Alby said. "You two shanks are the Med-jacks—figure it out."

Clint bent down by the girl's side and check for a pulse and listened for a heartbeat.

"Who said Clint had first shot at her?" someone yelled from the crowd. "I'm next!"

This wasn't a time to laugh, and why would they even bloody joke at a time like this?

"If anybody touches this girl," Alby said, "you're gonna spend the night sleepin' with the Grievers in the Maze. Banished, no questions." He meant business by the tone in his voice. "Ain't nobody better touch her! Nobody!"

Jeff took her wrists as Clint got a hold of her feet. One the count of three the pair lifted the girl off the ground and began to carry her to the Homestead.

"Guess we'll have to see what she does," Jeff said to no one in particular. "We can feed her soupy stuff if she doesn't wake up soon."

"Just watch her closely," I commanded. "Must be something special about her or they wouldn't have sent her here."

_Maybe she knows something about Ruthie_, I thought.

"You ain't never seen her before?" Alby asked the Greenie as the Med-jacks carried the female body towards the Homestead.

"Not … no, not that I remember," the Greenie hesitated.

"You're sure?" I prodded.

"I … no, I don't think so. Why are you grilling me like this?"

Alby was silent for a moment, the said, "Something's whacked. Call a Gathering."

The two of us walked off. I went towards the garden as Alby strolled towards the Blood House.

* * *

The next morning Ben escaped from his bed. He had somehow managed to get out of his room without any one of us suspecting a thing. Alby found him though, but he found that Ben had tried to murder the Greenie. Ben was put in the Slammer for the night, and the Baggers would eventually take care of him in the morning.

The next day, I had to show the Greenbean around at all of the different jobs. Eventually, I left him with Winston with the animals to see if that's where he'd work. He was also there until it was time for Ben's banishment.

I kept to my thoughts as I tended to the vegetables. I thought about Ruthie. I thought about her laugh, her smile, and the sayings she would recite. The sayings _we_ would recite _together_.

I was going to get out of the Glade. I had to get out of the Glade. When I do or if I do I was going to find Ruthie and I was going to find a better place for us.

* * *

That night it was time for Ben's banishment. Alby and I gathered every Glader except the girl at the East Door.

"Bring him out!" Alby ordered. Three Gladers dragged the sick looking Ben just in front of the Doors. I was instructed to go get the Pole.

_Forgive me_, I pleaded for no reason. I guess I figured that Ruthie wouldn't be too proud of me for banishing someone.

I brought out the twenty-foot long, silver pole with the collar at the end and handed it to Alby. He fastened the collar around the sick boy's neck.

"Please, Alby," Ben pleaded. "I swear I was just sick in the head from the Changing. I never would've killed him—just lost my mind for a second. Please, Alby, please."

"Ben of the Builders," Alby ignored him after going to the other side of the pole, "you've been sentenced to Banishment for the attempted murder of Thomas the Newbie. The Keepers have spoken, and their word ain't changing. And you ain't coming back. Ever." A dramatic silence swept over the Glade. "Keepers, take your place on the Banishment Pole."

I did, as did Minho, Alby, and Winston. As Ben kept begging for mercy, we kept pushing him towards the other side of the Doors. He almost escaped but was caught and pushed into Maze. His final screams were silenced when the Doors shut.

**Thanks for reading! Okay, I will admit that this chapter was long than I intended it to be, but I needed to get details in. Anyway, the next one will be up soon, and remember to review, comment, and/or favorite. :)**


	13. An Operation

Ruthie

I couldn't figure out which was scarier, Rachel and Paige getting attacked or Arly's banishment. The Banishment was unlike anything I could imagine. Arly was dragged out of what Beth called the Slammer by three other girls. She was thrown in front of Rachel, Beth, Sonya, Harriet, and two other girls who were all holding wooden poles.

"Arly of the Runners," Beth spoke up, "you have been found guilty of the attack of Paige and attempted murder of Rachel. Your punishment if to be banished into the Maze, and you'll never return."

"Please! Please!" Arly begged, her eyes watering with tears. "Just let me go! I'm sorry! I'll be a good girl, I promise!"

The rest of the girls ignored her as Beth yelled "Poles!" The girls surrounding Arly pointed their wooden poles towards her, and they began to block her escape, pushing her into the Maze.

"They're bad!" Arly screaming. "Bad! Bad! Bad!"

While she screamed, they kept pushing. They kept pushing until she was inside of the Maze as the doors were closing. I had to look away. I couldn't handle watching the horror that was taking place.

After the Banishment, I took a short walk around the Glade. I didn't have my baby with me though, but I asked Lovey to watch her for me. I needed a little something to calm myself down after what I had witnessed. I needed to just breath for a while. I eventually settled myself by a large tree. Once I was comfortable I almost fell asleep.

"Hi, Ruthie," a voice kept me awake. It was Paige.

"Hey," I greeted. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she responded as she sat next to me. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

She was silent as a sad and worried look blossomed on her face.

"It's okay, you can tell me," I said as I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well," she said as she brushed some of her dirty-blonde hair out her face, "I've been thinking about what Arly said about me and Rachel. About us being the reason why we're here in the Glade. About us being the enemy. Do you think that's why she tried to kill us?"

I could tell she was scared. The tone in her voice gave it away, but all I could do was right now was comfort her.

"I don't know, Paige," I replied as I put an arm around her. "All I know is that things are changing and that we have to look out for each other. We're all in this together."

"Yeah," she agreed.

All of a sudden a weird ringing and buzzing sounded in my right ear. It was annoying, and it hurt a little. I covered my ear as if blocking out an unwanted element from coming in, but the noise was coming in from inside my ear.

"Ruthie, what's wrong?" Paige asked with panic in her voice.

The noises stopped. "Nothing," I replied. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

That night, I dreamed of Newt again.

This time we around fifteen or sixteen. We were walking down a hallway, holding hands, and he was carrying a book. The book wasn't really a book, but more of a journal. It was pretty worn, some pieces of paper were sticking out, and with his name was written in black marker on the top right corner. He seemed to be walking me somewhere, because he was pulling my arm for me to follow him.

"Where are taking me?" I asked.

"Shh!" he scolded. "We're almost there."

We kept walking a little ways until we turned a left and were in a room.

He began started flipping through his journal. He kept turning the old crumpled pages until he pulled out a folded up piece of paper. Newt unfolded it and handed it to me.

"Can't you just tell me what you want to tell me?"

"It's better if you just read," he said. "Just read."

The printed letters took me into a loophole for a split second.

**To all Faculty and Staff**

**Please notify all subjects fifteen years or above of the testing of the new operation.**

"Where'd you find this?" I asked Newt as I still stared at the piece of paper.

"I was studying and one of the tutors dropped it on the ground without noticing," he replied.

"So Paige was right."

"Yeah, I guess she was."

"What are we gonna do?" I panicked as I hugged Newt.

"I don't know." He wrapped his arms around me, then lifted my chin. "What we can do is wait for more details on what they're bloody planning to do. We just need to stay strong, love."

I nodded in agreement, then he kissed my forehead and held me longer.

I woke up from my dream. An operation I remembered. What operation? If the test was for those fifteen and over, what operation was to be done?

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. I'll get the next one up soon! Please review and all that jazz. :)**


	14. Order

Newt

The next morning I went to wake up the Greenie for his job. I realized that he didn't take Ben's banishment to well, so I figured he'd need some more rest. I waited until about seven then woke him up by tapping his shoulder.

"Get up, ya lug."

"Yeah, good morning to you, too," replied the Greenie sarcastically. "What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock, Greenie," I said. "Figured I'd let ya sleep in after such a rough couple days."

"Sleep in? What are you guys, a bunch of farmers?"

"Uh … yeah, now that ya mention it," I realized. "Gonna put ya with the Track-hoes today, Greenie. See if that suits your fancy more than slicin' up bloody piggies and such."

"Aren't you supposed to quit calling me that?" he asked in small tone of frustration.

"What, bloody piggies?"

"No, Greenie," he replied with what sounded like a forced laugh. "I'm not really the newest Newbie anymore, right? The girl in the coma is. Call her Greenie—my name's Thomas."

"Burn me—you grew some right nice-sized eggs over night, now didn't ya?" I joked.

Thomas changed the subject. "What's a Track-hoe?"

"It's what we call the guys workin' their butts off in the Gardens—tilling, weeding, planting and such."

"Who's the Keeper?"

"Zart. Nice guy, s'long as you don't sluff on the job, that is. He's the big one that stood in front last night."

"So why'd you come wake me up?" Thomas asked after a moment of silence.

"What, don't like seein' my face first thing on the wake-up?" I joked again.

"Not especially. So—" He was cut off by the sound of the East Door rumble as they were opening. We watched as Minho went went inside the Maze and come back out with the collar in his hands. He tossed it to one of the other Runners, who went to put it back in the tool shed.

"What the—"

"Only seen three Banishments, Tommy," I interrupted him. "All as nasty as the one you peeped on last night. But every buggin' time, the Grievers leave the collar on our doorstep. Gives me the willies like nothin' else."

"What do they do with people when they catch them?"

I just shrugged. As ifI knew.

"So tell me about the Runners" slipped out of Tommy's mouth.

It took me a second to process what we just said. "The Runners? Why?"

"Just wondering."

I explained to him about the Runners and what they did. He asked if I was a Runner, and I was until I hurt my leg a few months prior. I told him that a Griever almost attacked me, but it was a lie. I wasn't going tell him the truth.

He tried to tell me that he wanted to be a Runner, but I kept telling him that no one gets to be a Runner their first month, much less their first week.

Then he moved on to the subject of the Changing, what had happened to Ben. Going back to the subject of being a Runner, he tried to convince me again, but I kept my ground.

"You listen to me, Greenie," I ordered. "You listenin' all nice and pretty?"

Tommy just rolled his eyes and nodded. I was getting annoyed by him attaitude.

"You better stop this nonsense, before others hear about it," I told him. "That's not how it works around here, and our whole existence depends on things working. Order. You say that bloody word over and over in your shuck head. Reason we're all sane around here is 'cause we work our butts off and maintain order. Order's the reason we put Ben out—can't very well have loonies runnin' around tryin' to kill people, now can we? Order. Last thing we need is you screwin' that up."

"Yeah," he nodded.

I knew that wasn't going to solve anything. So I decided to make him an offer. "Let's make a deal."

"What?"

"You keep your mouth shut about it, and I'll put you on the list of potential trainees as soon as you show some clout. Don't keep your trap shut, and I'll bloody make sure ya never see it happen. Deal?"

"That's a sucky deal," he replied.

My eyebrows went up.

"Deal."

"Come on, let's get us some grub from Frypan," I said. "And hope we don't bloody choke."

* * *

The worst was yet to come that night. The mysterious girl had been muttering things in her sleep, and Minho and Alby were to be back hours earlier. I was worried. I tried to thing about Ruthie, but that didn't help. I was worried about her, too.

Everyone gathered around to see if Minho and Alby would be back, but there was no sign of them. Tommy kept asking if someone or a search party could go in after them, but I eventually snapped at him. He just didn't seem to process the fact that we couldn't risk losing anyone else.

He eventually spotted Minho and Alby in the distance. The rest of shouted at the two to hurry and get back into the Glade, but I knew it would be too late in a few seconds. I saw the look on Tommy's face: he was thinking about going into Maze after them.

"Don't you it, Tommy!" I snapped. "Don't you bloody do it!"

He heard me, but he ran into the Maze anyway. He was dead. When the Doors closed, I lost all hope in the Greenie.

* * *

I couldn't sleep that night. Tommy was probably out there in the Maze dying from a Griever attack, and I was just trying to thing good things to help myself fall asleep.

My thoughts eventually fell to Ruthie. Her sweet and loving smile put a smile on my face as if saying to not give up hope.

"I don't know, love," I whispered. "He could be dead by know."

Sleep eventually caught up with me, and I dreamed.

I was sitting in front of a computer, and I seemed to be sixteen or seventeen. It was the same computer from a previous dream, but this time Ruthie wasn't there. I was leaning back in my chair, and jotting something down-in what seemed to be my best handwriting- on a piece of paper. I was alone in the room, but I could hear voices around somewhere.

_But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Ruthie is the sun _was written on the paper. I read it over and over until tears began to push through. I folded it up, and stuffed it in my pocket.

"For you, my love," I said. Then, I cried.

The dream faded. I awoke still in agony of last night's awful events. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, then just sat there and breathed.

I remembered the note I wrote. I checked my pocket, and I pulled out the same piece of paper I had written.

_But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Ruthie is the sun _was written in black ink.

Loads of questions filled my mind. What did I write this to Ruthie for? Why was I alone this time? And why did I cry after stuffing it in my pocket?

I knew Ruthie was out there somewhere, but I didn't know where. If I was going to give it to her, then I would.

**Thanks for reading! This chapter took awhile to write, but I did it! Hooray! School finals are coming up for me, so I won't be able to get the next chapter posted until sometime afterwards. But please review, follow, and/or favorite! :)**


	15. She Ran In

Ruthie

Paige was sound asleep on the floor, and Aramina was dreaming peacefully in her little bed as the sun was climbing the early haze of the gold and periwinkle blue sky. I didn't think Paige was comfortable sleeping on the floor with only a pillow and a quilted blanket, but she didn't seem to mind. She was a tough one.

I was told to wake her up so she could try out a different job in the Glade, but I let her sleep until around seven. Arly's Banishment did a mean number on her.

"Paige," I whispered.

She squirmed a little then shifted her body towards me and opened her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"It's around seven," I told her. "I let you sleep in, because I figured that you might need it after last night's events."

"Thanks," she said plainly.

"But you still have to get up. You've got job hunting today."

She just sighed and nodded.

Rumbling sounded from the East Door causing Aramina to wake. I rushed over to my crying child, picked her up, and began to rock her.

"Shh, it's okay," I told my daughter. "It's just the Doors."

I looked up and saw Beth by the Doors. She walked into the Maze and came back out. I figured she was probably looking to see if Arly was gone.

"Who did you say you had to talk to?" Paige asked.

I turned my attention back to her. "I'm sorry?"

"To become a Runner," she reminded me.

"Oh, well, no one gets the job of a Runner their first month," I explained. "I mean you haven't been here a week. I'm just telling you what I've been told. Also, we like to keep things in order. They said it's what's been keeping them living and surviving."

By the look on her face she felt as if her dreams were burned, and I felt bad. I knew she could do it.

I put Aramina, who had gone back to sleep, back in her little bed and put my hands on Paige's shoulder. "Personally," I whispered, "I believe in you. But I'm not the one to talk to. Go talk to either Beth or Rachel. But for now, you can go talk to Lovey about a different job you might like, okay?"

"Sure," she smiled. Before she was out of the door and turned back towards me. "And Ruthie?"

"Yes?"

"I think you're gonna be a great mother."

"Thank you."

I felt a little ray of light in me. That little bit of kindness from Paige made me feel good about myself.

* * *

"They should've been back by now," Lovey said as we were all standing in front of the Doors. We were waiting for two of the Runners, Ellie and Ruby, to return. They had gone into the Maze to examine a dead Griever that had been found, but it was getting late. The Doors would close in about two minutes.

"Shouldn't we send someone after them?" Paige asked.

"No," Beth replied. "They return or they don't."

"We can't risk losing anyone else," I said.

A breeze began to blow in our faces, and Aramina was starting to cry a little. She didn't like it when the Doors closed, but I still began to rock her and adjust her blanket so she wouldn't be cold.

"Look," Rachel pointed. Sure enough, there they were. One girl, who looked Asian, seemed to be carrying a girl with platinum blonde hair and her shoulder.

"Something's wrong," Lovey replied as the Doors rumbled, causing my baby to cry again.

"C'mon, Ruby!" Beth shouted. "Hurry!"

A roar of shouts came from all of us including me.

"You can do it!"

"Get out of there!"

"Just leave her!"

Ruby was eventually dragging Ellie by the wrists and shouting in effort to get back into the Glade, but I knew it would be too late.

I noticed that Paige was looking around to find a solution. Then, the unthinkable happened: she darted into the Maze.

"Paige, no!" I screamed. She wasn't listening to us screaming at her to stop. She was squeezing into the Maze as the Doors were shutting.

Finally, we heard the Doors shut. Paige was on the other side of the Doors with Ruby and Ellie. All seemed to be lost, but I somehow knew she would live.

"I told she was a misfit," I heard Beth whisper to Rachel.

"Shut it, you Stick!" Rachel snapped. "Get back to work."

Worry invaded my thoughts, and I began to cry. Sonya came to my side and put a comforting arm around me.

"Ruthie," she whispered, "why don't Rachel, Lovey, and I take Aramina for tonight, just so you can gather yourself together?"

"Are you sure?" I asked. Leaving my child with someone else made me nervous, because I was never really away from Aramina except when I went for a walk. But I trusted Sonya, and I figured that I needed some rest.

"You've done so much for us here, so let us return the favor."

"Alright," I agreed.

I put Aramina in Sonya's arms, then kissed my baby's little head. "You be good, princess."

**I hope you enjoyed it! The weather has been bad lately, so it's been taking awhile for everything to get uploaded and what not. Ugh! Also, it's finals week at school, so it'll be a while before the next chapter can get uploaded. But still, please review, follow and/or favorite. :)**


	16. A New Runner

Newt

I heard Chuck screaming at us to come to the Doors. I slowly got up from reading the note, stuffed it back into my pocket, and made my way over to chuck as the Doors were opening. No sign of Tommy, Minho, or Alby were in sight. They were dead. I knew they had to be dead. No one survives a night in the Maze.

"I told you, Chuck," I said then started to walk away.

"Wait a minute," I heard Zart shout. "Look!"

Sure enough, as soon as I turned around, there were Tommy and Minho running back to the Glade as if they were about to drop.

"What happened?" I nearly shouted at them. "How in the bloody—"

"We'll tell you later," Thomas interrupted me. "We have to save Alby."

"What do you mean? He's alive?"

"Just come here." He brought me over to where he was standing, then pointed to a tangled lump in the ivy.

"Is he … alive?" I asked.

"I don't know," Tommy replied. Was when I left him up there."

I nearly scolded him, but I stopped myself. "You and Minho get your butts inside, get yourselves checked by the Med-jacks. You look bloody awful. I want the whole story when they're done and you're rested up."

* * *

After Alby was brought down and untangled from the ivy, he was brought to the Homestead and given the Serum. For a while nothing happened. He was just lying on the bed in a death-like state. All of a sudden he woke up with a blood-curdling scream. For a few minutes Jeff, Clint, and I wrestled with Alby to calm down. He did eventually, which made us realize that he had started the Changing. Later, I told Tommy about what the Changing was. He was really annoying me and possibly everyone else with bloody non-stop questions.

Any shank who went through the Changing only got snippets of memories back, but never talked about it afterwards. The just seemed different from then on.

Tommy asked about the mysterious girl sleeping in the Homestead. As far as I knew, she was still in her buggin' coma.

* * *

"In place of our leader, sick in bed, I declare this Gathering begun," I announced the next morning at a Keepers meeting featuring Tommy. "As you all know, the last few days have been bloody crazy, and quite a bit seems centered around our Greenbean, Tommy, seated before us."

"He's not the Greenie anymore," Gally piped up. "He's just a rule breaker now."

A commotion began to rise, and I shushed everyone.

"Gally, try to keep some buggin' order, here. If you're gonna blabber your shuck mouth every time I say something," I warned, "you can go ahead and bloody leave, because I'm not in a very cheerful mood."

He slouched back in his seat and folded his arms like the stubborn shank he was. I gave him a good and firm stare.

"Glad we got that out of the way," I continued after breaking eye contact. "Reason we're here is because we need to decide what we're gonna do with him."

I went around the Keepers one at a time, taking suggestions on how we should fix the problem of Tommy running in to the Maze. Some suggested punishment, others suggested to let him off the hook, but Minho surprised us all.

"I nominate him to replace me as Keeper of the Runners," he said.

More chaos, commotion, and arguments arose. I stopped them by shouting at them to keep their heads and act like adults. Gally almost pressed another one until Minho shot back at him.

"Enough," I raised my voice. "Defend your proposal and be done with it."

"Anyway, listen to me," Minho continued "I've never seen anything like it. He didn't panic. He didn't whine and cry, never seemed scared. Dude, he'd been here for just a few days. Think about what we were all like in the beginning. Huddling in corners, disoriented, crying every hour, not trusting anybody, refusing to do anything. We were all like that, for weeks or months, till we had no choice but to shuck it and live."

He pointed to Tommy. "Just a few days after this guy shows up, he steps out in the Maze to save two shanks he hardly knows. All this klunk about him breaking a rule is just beyond stupid. He didn't get the rules yet. But plenty of people had told him what it's like in the Maze, especially at night. And he still stepped out there, just as the Door was closing, only caring that two people needed help. But that was just the beginning. After that, he saw me give up on Alby, leave him for dead. And I was the veteran—the one with all the experience and knowledge. So when Thomas saw me give up, he shouldn't have questioned it. But he did. Think about the willpower and strength it took him to push Alby up that wall, inch by inch. It's psycho. It's freaking crazy."

I suddenly wished Ruthie was listening to this.

"But that wasn't it. Then came the Grievers. I told Thomas we had to split up and I started the practiced evasive maneuvers, running in the patterns. Thomas, when he should've been wettin' his pants, took control, defied all laws of physics and gravity to get Alby up onto that wall, diverted the Grievers away from him, beat one off, found—"

"We get the point," Gally snapped. "Tommy here is a lucky shank."

"No, you worthless shuck, you don't get it! I've been here two years, and I've never seen anything like it. For you to say anything …"

"Gally," Minho said, his softer, "you're nothing but a sissy who has never, not once, asked to be a Runner or tried out for it. You don't have the right to talk about things you don't understand. So shut your mouth."

"Say one more thing like that and I'll break your neck, right here in front of everybody."

"I swear, Gally," Minho said in a threatening tone, "don't ever threaten me again. Don't ever speak to me again. Ever. If you do, I'll break your shuck neck, right after I'm done with your arms and legs."

Minho almost killed Gally after that, causing Winston and I to pull him off of Gally. Then, just before storming out of the door he threatened to stop whatever he thought that Tommy was doing to us in the Glade, even if it meant killing him.

We eventually decided to make Tommy a Runner. His would begin from the wake-up until sunset.

Just then, Chuck was standing in the doorway with a deep look of concern planted on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Med-jacks sent me," he mumbled.

"Why?"

"I guess Alby's thrashing around and acting all crazy, telling them he needs to talk to somebody."

I tried to rush out of the door, but the plump boy stopped me. "Um … he doesn't want you."

"What do you mean?"

"He keeps asking for him," he answered, pointing to Tommy.

I ended up dragging Tommy up to Alby's room with Chuck tailing behind us. When we entered the room, Ably was sleeping in a deathlike state, but opened his eyes eventually. He warningly groaned about the mysterious girl, then told me to leave.

I wanted to hear what he had to tell Tommy, but Alby screamed at me to leave. I did.

After a while, Tommy called my back in only to find Alby trying to choke himself to death. I eventually got him to stop after prying his hands from his neck. He claimed that he wasn't in control of himself.

"Get your butt to sleep and we'll talk about it later," I told him as I patted his head. "You're messed up, shank."

Just as I was about to close the door, I heard the shank mumble something.

"What?" I asked.

"Be careful with the girl," he repeated more loudly this time.

Tommy looked at me, but all that come out of my mouth was "Let's go."

"And Newt?" Alby said again.

"Yeah?"

"Protect the Maps."

**Thanks for reading! I'm sorry for not updating in a while. School let out for sumer and my schedule got busy. I appreciate your patience. I'll get the next chapter up soon, but I can't predict when. Please review, follow, and/or favorite. I love hearing what you think. :)**


	17. A Promise to Never Break

Ruthie

I sat alone in my hut that night. Not only was I nervous about leaving my baby with someone else, but I was much more worried about Paige and the other girls. They were out in the Maze. Alone. With Grievers probably crawling all over the place, they could be scared to death.

I was scared, but I knew I had to be strong. For Paige. For Aramina. For Newt.

But all I could do right now was to try to get some sleep. I took off my sweater, which was a little damp from nervous sweating, folded it up, and set it on the floor next to my bed.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, sleep swallowed me.

Another dream crawled into my mind.

* * *

This time I was sitting at the table Newt and I usually sat at, and he was there also. Actually, he was the one that was sitting. I was pacing back and forth.

"Ruthie, calm down," Newt finally said, standing. "It hasn't been that long."

"How long has it been?" I asked, near to tears.

"It's only been two months, love."

"Two months since the operation," I groaned. "Seven more months. Meaning that it won't be long until it's your turn."

I sank into the chair behind me, and buried my face in my hands. I was trembling and on the verge of tears.

"I know I won't be here for much longer," he said as he pulled me to face him, "but right now, all I can do is take care of you as much as I can."

I stayed silent.

He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. I could never get enough of those kind and loving brown eyes of his. He kissed me gently, then said, "I'm making it my promise to never break. To you and the child."

I half-heartedly smiled, but I was still stressed.

"Would you like some music?" he asked. "I know how much you love it."

"Sure," I bluntly replied.

He went over to the wall and typed in something on some small device. Within two seconds a familiar but beautiful orchestrated piece swam into my ears from overhead.

"'Pas de Deux: the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy' from _The Nutcracker_," I recognized.

"One of your favorites," he grinned as he took my hands and kissed them both. He then scooted his chair to line up with mine, settled in it, then put an arm around me. I cuddled in beside him as he rested his chin upon my head. The two of us sat in silence as the music played.

* * *

The song ended just before I woke up.

I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes. I glanced at the world outside. The sun was just starting to rise, so I figured that almost everyone was still asleep.

My thoughts went over to the dream I had, and I started to make a few connections. The operation, I figured, was to somehow impregnate me with a child. Not just any child, but with Aramina. And not just my baby, but someone else's.

I remembered Rachel asking me who the father was, and I didn't have a clue. Now, I was thinking that Newt could possibly be the father. I wasn't sure, but something told me that it was a possibility.

_He's out there_, I thought.

"I will find you," I said out loud as if I was saying it to Newt.

* * *

"Hey, everyone!" I heard Lovey call to us from the Doors of the Maze. "Come here!"

I had just gotten Aramina back and finished my breakfast when all of the commotion started. We all gathered around with Lovey and spotted Paige and Ruby carrying Ellie on their shoulders. An uproar of cheers and murmurs of disbelief soared throughout the air.

When the trio reached us Ellie was placed at our feet. She was unconscious, but she looked horrible. her light-blonde hair was messy, her face was dirty, and patches of her skin were green with a bit of blue and purple. A bloody gnash traveled from her left temple.

"What happened?" I asked.

"She was stung," Ruby answered.

"You saw Grievers?" Harriet asked.

"Not only did we see one," Ruby replied, her eyes growing with amazement, "but this Stick killed one."

Whispers erupted again.

"Shut it!" Rachel shouted, and the rest of us obeyed. She turned to Ruby. "Get her to the Cabin. We're gonna have a meeting in an hour."

**Finally, I updated this story! Thanks for your patience. I know y'all have been on the edge of your seats wanting to know what happens next. I've had a busy summer, and updating different stories, and writer's block for this one. I'll try to get the next one up as soon as I can. It might take a while, but thank you again for your patience. Also, I apologize for such a short chapter. You've read this chapter, so you know what to do. :)**


	18. We Need Your Memories

Newt

I felt me stomach growl after walking out of Alby's room.

"Hungry, Tommy?" I asked the Shank.

"Hungry?" he repeated. "I feel like puking after what I just saw—no, I'm not hungry."

"Well, I am, ya shank. Let's go look for some leftovers from lunch. We need to talk."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say something like that."

Cheese sandwiches and raw vegetables were on the bloody menu for lunch. Tommy and I sat outside against the west wall with our backs facing some thick ivy. My thoughts drifted over to Ruthie again. I was just hoping she wasn't going through the same situation I was going through. She would deserve so much better than this. I wanted her here with me imaginary or not.

"Ever seen that happen before?" Thomas asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"What Alby just did?" I said. "No. Never. But then again, no one's ever tried to tell us what they remembered during the Changing. They always refuse. Alby tried to—must be why he went nuts for a while."

The Greenie went silent.

"We have to find Gally," I changed the subject. "Bugger's gone off and hid somewhere. Soon as we're done eating, I need to find him and throw his butt in jail."

"Serious?"

"That shank threatened to kill you and we have to make bloody sure it never happens again," I said matter-of-factly. "That shuck-face is gonna pay a heavy price for acting like that—he's lucky we don't Banish him. Remember what I told you about order."

"Yeah."

"Here's how it'll play out, Tommy," I told him as I faced him. "You're with me the rest of today—we need to figure things. Tomorrow, the Slammer. Then you're Minho's, and I want you to stay away from the other shanks for a while. Got it?"

"Sounds beautiful. So Minho's going to train me?"

"That's right—you're a Runner now. Minho'll teach ya. The Maze, the Maps, everything. Lots to learn. I expect you to work your butt off."

And I meant it. If he wanted to find a way out of the bloody Glade and it's bloody Maze, then it would mean a chance to start over with life, and to find Ruthie.

We sat in silence as we finished our lunches. I somehow knew Tommy had already known about the Glade and that how everything was going to change. I crumbled my trash and threw it over my shoulder. IT was no time to waste. The time for answers was now.

"Thomas," I began, "I need you to accept something. We've heard it too many times now to deny it, and it's time to discuss it. Gally said it. Alby said it. Ben said it, and the girl, after we took her out of the Box—she said it."

I expected Tommy to know what I was talking about. He didn't.

"They all said things were going to change," I explained in one sentence. "That's right. And Gally, Alby and Ben claim they saw you in their memories after the Changing—and from what I gather, you weren't plantin' flowers and helpin' old ladies cross the street. According to Gally, there's somethin' rotten enough about ya that he wants to kill ya."

"Newt, I don't know—" Thomas started, but I interrupted him. I was sick of hearing him sing the same old bloody song.

"I know you don't remember anything, Thomas!" I snapped. "Quit sayin' that—don't ever say it again. None of us remember anything, and we're bloody sick of you reminding us. The point is there's something different about you, and it's time we figured it out."

"Fine, so how do we do it?" he shot back. "I want to know who I am just as much as anyone else. Obviously."

"I need you to open your mind. Be honest if anything—anything at all—seems familiar."

"Nothing—" Thomas started, but stopped. I could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to put pieces of a puzzle together.

"I can see your wheels spinnin'," I pointed out. "Talk."

"Well … I can't put my finger on anything specific," Thomas hesitated, but he spoke slowly."But I did feel like I'd been here before when I first got here." He finally made eye contact with me. "Anyone else go through that?"

I didn't expact that answer. "Uh, no, Tommy. Most of us spent a week klunkin' our pants and bawlin' our eyes out."

"Yeah, well, it all seemed familiar to me, and I knew I wanted to be a Runner."

"That's bloody interesting." I paused. "Well, keep lookin' for it. Strain your mind, spend your free time wanderin' your thoughts, and think about this place. Delve inside that brain of yours, and seek it out. Try, for all our sakes."

"I will." Thomas closed his eyes. I guess he was trying to retrace lost steps from before arriving to the Glade.

"Not now, you dumb shuck." I laughed. "I just meant do it from now on. Free time, meals, goin' to sleep at night, as you walk around, train, work. Tell me anything that seems even remotely familiar. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

"Good that. To begin, we better go see someone."

"Who?"

"The girl. I want you to look at her till your eyes bleed, see if somethin' gets triggered in that shuck brain of yours. Then I want you to tell me every single word Alby said to you."

"Okay."

"If all else fails," I said, "we'll send ya to the Grievers—get ya stung so you can go through the Changing. We need your memories."

We traveled up to the girl's room to find Clint were he was watching over her. Eventually, I got the Greenie to sit in a chair beside the girl's bed. It was his memories that was going to get us out.

He kept claiming that he didn't know who the girl was until he fell out of his chair. He heard a voice, he said. A voice that could possibly be the girl's.

* * *

I told everyone else to leave Thomas be and let him sleep. He had already gone through a lot including being tormented by me for answers.

I eventually went to bed myself, but I didn't dream of the girl I longed for.

When I awakened the next morning, I decided to pull out the note I had written for Ruthie. As I read it over and over, I thought about the dreams I had.

I reached for my notepad and pencil and quickly jotted down my dreams. Immediately, I figured it out. Ruthie was my girlfriend, and she loved books and poetry. We would often quote a line from a book to each other. An operation commenced that happened to involve the two of us being experimented on, but how could it make her so sad and upset? All I knew was that it explained my scar. I had written the note just before I came to the Maze, and I had planned on giving it to her if I ever saw her again.

I now knew why I needed to get out of the Maze. Not only to find a place for me and the other Shanks, but also to find a better place for Ruthie.

**Thanks for reading! I almost had writer's block when writing this. Hahahaha! Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but school is keeping me busy. I appreciate your patience, and I'm grateful for that. Review, follow, and/or favorite. :)**


	19. She Should Be a Runner

Ruthie

The tension was real as soon as the meeting started. All of the girls except for Ellie and Harriet, who was watching Aramina for me, were eagerly chatting away as Rachel, Beth, Sonya, Paige, Ruby, and I were preparing to speak. We were all gathered in the living room area by the portrait of the dark-haired woman in the Cabin. We were all sitting in chairs, and I had a yellow note pad and a pencil to take notes. Beth stood up, which everyone else shut their mouths to listen.

"Well, it seems we have a girl who can run," Beth said as she motioned towards Paige. "But is she a Runner? No. Was she allowed to run in? Negative. Did she know what the heck she was thinking? No, she didn't. It's only obvious that this Stick has to be punished."

The rest of the girls including me began to protest. Rachel stood up and signaled for us to quiet down. "Why do you think we should punish her, Beth?"

"Hello. She's broken our rules," Beth explained as she used her fingers to number, "strange things have happened since she's gotten here, and now she thinks she can get us out by nearly getting herself, Ruby and Ellie killed."

Rachel exhaled heavily then turned to me, signaling me to ask a question.

I glanced over at Ruby, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded. Dark circles were forming under her eyes from running all night. "Ruby, you were there when it happened," I said. "What do you think?"

Ruby was silent for a moment before she stood up straighter and answered, "Well, I do agree on part of what Beth was saying, but not entirely. I don't know whether Paige is smart or stupid; but I know that when I ran away to save myself, she stayed behind to help Ellie. Me and my doubts, all I did was worry about myself, forgetting there were two other lives in the Maze with me: one a Runner, one not. I see a lot of courage surrounding her. If you ask me, she should be a Runner."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'm sorry of not updating in a while and for such a short chapter, but I've been dead brained and school was keeping me busy. I'll try to write longer chapters, but I can't promise anything. I really appreciate your patience. Review, follow, and/or favorite. :)**


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